1 post from April 2009

The first 25 years of my post-college career were high
speed, high excitement and high growth. At 27, I was supervising a crew of 41
men, all of them older than me. At 37, I was running a $200 million paper
manufacturing plant. And by 42, I was COO of a $350 million division of New
Zealand’s largest forest products company. I was flying high, living large, and
certain that I was indestructible.

I spent my days striving for excellence in

my current
role, and looking up the ladder at the next opportunity. When I felt any
nagging doubts about my industry, or my career, I let the excitement of the
moment burn those doubts away. When I wondered about my future, I remembered
the retirement statement I received six months into my first job out of
college. The statement told me how much money I would get each month after
working 41 years for that company. In those days, 41 years at one company would
not have been surprising.